Unraveling
by Jexion
Summary: She left. No one understood how much it hurt him, but he would find her. Someday.
1. Prologue

-Yeah it's just the prologue-

The sky had never seemed so beautiful before. After years of hard work, battling heartless and countless nobodies, the Organization and Xemnas, there was finally rest to be had. The worlds were finally at peace, and it seemed the universe realized it. Shooting stars graced the wonderful sight as the moon shone strongly in the distance. The stars twinkled slightly as if they could read the thoughts of the man lying in the pale sand, with the water lapping up at his golden black shoes. Bright blue eyes gazed at the black night in wonder, a small smile on his lips. His spiky brown hair was rustled in the wind as he shifted his position, putting his arms behind his head calmly. Ripped blue jeans and a white baseball shirt with long black sleeves covered his well muscled body, hiding the scars underneath. The man gazed over to his left, searching for his monument. A Keyblade was stuck in the sand beside him, exactly where he had placed it when he had returned to the beach where he grew up. It had remained unmoved for some three years, with the man seeing no reason to disperse it, or touch it for that matter. He let it stand testimony to the feats he had accomplished in his teenage years. It was his most powerful weapon, the Ultima Keyblade. With its winding strands heading to the actual key part of the blade, it was an impressive sight indeed. Looking at it from his resting place on the shoreline, he smiled, remembering the adversity he had overcome to forge the blade. He had killed countless Heartless, picking up the numerous items they dropped on occasion. Even when he had them all, the moogle had made him pay a great deal of munny to have it synthesized.

"Those were the good times," Sora sighed into the wind, speaking to no one in particular. Donald and Goofy had long ago departed with King Mickey for home, leaving him behind with his friends on the island. It had been a peaceful three years, with no need to fight or struggle for life. Even the animals on the island had seemed to realize the power emanating from Sora, and didn't trouble anyone. Yes it was a good life…

Sora scoffed. "Good life huh? Life hasn't been good ever since….," becoming saddened, his thoughts trailed off as he shifted his position back towards the sky. Closing his eyes, he slowly convinced himself that someday, he would fix the predicament he had somehow gotten himself into…

"**Four weeks ago"**

"Sora, I am so sorry. I never meant for it to end this way, but I just can't stay with you anymore. Things have changed however sudden it may seem. I leave next month."

"But…where are you going?"

"Please, don't make this harder than it already is! You know I love you more than anything, but if I stay, I'll just end up hurting you even more! Please, just leave me alone!"

"**Present"**

A single tear dropped down his cheek when he recalled the gummi ship taking off not two hours ago. It was the old Kingdom ship, which Donald and Goofy had left behind in exchange for a newer model that had been sent over by Chip and Dale. The keys had been thrown at him, with Donald throwing in an emphatic "Don't be driving it without the autopilot on, and don't scratch the paint." Sora had chuckled that day, but now the ship was gone anyways. She had taken it as she departed for an unknown destination. He hadn't attempted to stop her, figuring she had reasons as much as anyone else did. Sure it broke his heart, but he wasn't soulless. He wanted her to be happy, with or without him in the picture. But no matter how much he told himself that, he wanted to know why. They HAD been going out for a little over two and a half years. And just like that, she broke it off and said she needed to get away. Answers were so scarce in the last few months, with her neglecting his presence. His blood had run cold whenever she turned her back on him, and every time she ran it broke his heart just a little bit more.

Standing from his perch in the soft sand, he dusted himself off and began walking towards the old cave where they had often gone when they were children. Brushing the vines away from the entrance, he squatted on his knees and tried to slip through the small crawlspace inside. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but he somehow still managed. He was a Keyblade master after all.

Pulling himself on his forearms, he managed to make it into the cave after about two minutes. Standing up and stretching, he cracked his joints as he prepared himself to cast magic. Stretching out his right hand, he closed his eyes and focused. Imagining a burning orb of light, he quietly whispered "Firaga."

A sphere of fire erupted into his hand, blazing and crackling in the dark of the cave. He stared at it for a moment, thinking solemnly to himself, before throwing it towards an old lantern hanging on the stalagmite, exactly where he had placed it all those years ago.

The cave erupted into light, with the lantern igniting from Sora's magic sphere. Shadows flickered on the walls, light dancing around from the lantern. Walking towards a distant corner, he approached a small picture they had drawn back before the ordeal that had shaped them into what they had become…

"_Come on you dope! My chin isn't that big!"_

"_Well Ex-cuuuuuuse me, princess. I thought you were aware that I can't draw to save my life!"_

"_Yeah I knew, but you could at least put a little bit more effort into it! Look at how good mine is of you? Can't you make it more like that?"_

"_Oh, so I look like a woman to you, do I?"_

"_Oh Sora, You didn't notice those curves developing?"_

"_HEY! That's unnecessarily mean."_

"_Oh, you know I'm just kidding you lazy bum. We already agreed to get married someday, remember?"_

"_Yeah I remember. I just don't know why I would marry you if you're going to be so abusive to me."_

"_Oh whatever. I guess I'll just leave then, you meanie face."_

"_Wait! I was just kidding too, haha. You know I'll always love you."_

"_Promise?"_

"_Now and forever."_

The memories flooded his mind while he stared at the picture, reminiscing on the races across the hot beach sand. The mock swordfights with Riku, and she watched from the sidelines cheering him on even though he almost never won. Going to the movies with each other and tossing popcorn into each other's mouths.

"Stop Sora, you're just gonna hurt yourself even more later," he spoke out loud, knowing that if anyone saw him they would assume his insanity.

He sighed and turned his back on the picture, the memories still flashing in his mind. He snapped his fingers to extinguish the flame flickering in the lantern, ducking to get back into the crawlspace.

Emerging on the other side, he once again stretched, walking away from the small cave. Jumping across the small lake in front of it, he snapped his arms out and used his super glide ability to rocket across the landscape, landing near an old shack with a ladder to the upstairs inside it. He always had been impatient, and the super glide ability had always come in handy whenever he didn't want to walk places. Opening the creaking door, he stepped inside, smelling the salty air that invaded even inside the shack. Looping an arm around the old ladder he climbed up, and opened the trapdoor to the roof of the shack. There was a platform indented on a cliff ledge, which in all honesty wasn't exactly hidden. Back when he and his friends had been kids, they had built a large wooden bridge to a small island out a little off of the shore.

They had always been curious when they were young, wanting to explore anything and everything, as small as the island was. He crossed the bridge to the island, where the tall palm trees stood, almost glowing in the moonlight. He slowly touched one, lethargically remembering each slash in the wood from Riku and his many mock fights in the past. One from when Sora had thrown his sword in a boomerang fashion, ending with Riku bending backwards and throwing a hand on the ground, catching his weight and flipping backwards, leaving Sora's wooden sword stuck in the wood. That had not been a fun fight, with Sora struggling to defend against the assault of Riku's blade. Another slash from when Riku had jumped in the air and slashed straight down, with Sora dodge rolling out of the way, leaving a long scar in the bark. The cuts and tears were countless, and brought back many fond memories for the twenty year old.

Gazing to his right, he saw the only tree that seemed untouched, for he and Riku had always been careful not to hit it. A long trunk extended over the ocean, with small star shaped fruit hanging delicately from the branches. He frowned when he saw the fruit remembering that he had shared one of the sacred paopu fruit with her.

"**Two Years Ago"**

"Sora, I know without a doubt in my heart that I will always love you. I see the future with you, with our kids running around on this little stretch of beach, and waking up to your smiling face every day. I just want to prove it all to you."

"You don't have to prove anything to me. I already know, and I can assure you I feel the same."

"Sora I just want to show it. I want to share it with you."

"I understand. Well, then, what are we waiting for! We have an eternal bond to establish."

"Oh Sora, why must you always be such a goof?"

"I'm your goof."

"Oh so true."

"So do I have to eat it, or are you going to feed it to me?"

"Lazy bum."

"You know you love me."

"More than you know."

"**Present"**

"Why then? If we shared so much, why did you do this to me?"

Sora's face had become strained with the memories. Tears streaked down his cheeks, too quickly to be wiped away with his hands limp at his sides. Tears dropped silently into the rock of the small islet, forming a small pool of water. Thunder crackled above him as his pain began to manifest in the sky, magic mixing with emotion as he struggled to control himself. His fist bolted out and struck the tree with impressive force, channeling all his sorrow into the strike. The whole thing shook and trembled, bending underneath the strength of the Keyblade Master. The trunk bent and snapped backwards,launching one of the bright yellow fruits towards him.

The paopu fruit landed with a thud in front of him, ending his pained sadness. He slowly bent over and picked it up, staring intently at the sacred fruit from his island. As memories and emotions swirled around in his mind, he began clenching his other fist tightly he held the fruit up to his heart, holding it close. And with that, He determined his fate. Regardless of whether or not anyone was watching he whispered to himself, with a single tear sliding down his cheek,

"Kairi, I will find you. I will find you and I will get the answers you refused to tell me."

_**Notes will always appear in bold and italics. Not sure how often I'll end up even putting up notes. I'm not sure how I like the prologue, but I promise the story gets good. I have about three chapters completed, and I will release them soon. I'm planning this to be around 25 additional chapters .It's subject to change, depending on how I think it's coming out. tell me what you think! But until then, Hasta La Vista.-Josh**_


	2. I Need an Answer, Some Way to Understand

**Chapter 1**

**I Need an Answer, Some way to Understand**

**Three Months Later**

The sun rose at exactly seven thirty in the morning. Every day, no matter what month it was. It was one of the disadvantages of living on the island, blasting the sunlight into every poor souls bedroom at the same time. But this was one morning a certain brown haired man was dreading.

Wiping his eyes as he raised his head from the pillow, he pushed himself upwards from the oak bed. His room was very plain, with solid white walls, and a couple of posters of assorted bands and video games. A stereo was placed on a small wooden table, playing rock music quietly in the background. The hardwood floors were covered in clothes that he felt no reason to wash quite yet. After all, there was plenty more in the closet. A small nightstand was next to the bed, with a box of tissues and an alarm clock on it. Sure enough, the clock read 7:30 am, just like it always did when the sun started to blaze through the window. On the back of the simple birch door, there was a calendar, with slashes across several of the days. Sora had always liked to keep track of the date, but he had fallen behind recently. Blowing his nose with a tissue he grabbed from the nightstand, he swung his legs around to the side, pulling on a pair of jeans that were laying on the side of the bed frame. After that came socks and bright yellow shoes (which somehow still fit). Stepping up from the comfort of his mattress, he flexed to work the kinks out of his sleeping muscles. Cracking his neck, he went to the closet and pulled a button down red shirt with a silver crown on the back off the hanger. Slipping it on, he kicked the door open and walked downstairs, the steps creaking every step, reminding him just how empty the house was without a certain redhead bustling around. Right now she would have been waiting in the kitchen with breakfast almost ready, beaming those pearly whites at him, and calling him a lazy bum or some other name. The smell of eggs and bacon would drift to his nostrils, as she ran over to hug him a good morning.

All that was null now, her bright personality that matched his so well was absent, and with it, his attitude soured significantly. Opening the refrigerator in the corner of the kitchen, he gazed inside, looking for something to fill his stomach. Spotting a carton of milk, he grabbed it from the shelves of the fridge, and tossed it on the counter, turning and kicking the fridge closed behind him. Opening a cupboard, he pulled out a box of cereal, and poured it into the bowl. Sniffing the milk and determining that it hadn't quite soured yet, he poured it onto the cereal, snatching a spoon off the counter. He placed it on the nearby kitchen table, and sat down to start the day.

He already knew that it would be and endless tirade of questions from Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, and Riku. A never ending amount of questions from them about why she had left, was it his fault, had something happened, was she pregnant, blah blah blah. Normally Sora would be the one to blow it all off and say it would all turn out alright, but right now, he wasn't sure.

Scooping a mouthful of cereal onto the spoon, he ate more in a blank stupor, not allowing thoughts of his gir-….Ex Girlfriend to haunt his morning. Finishing his breakfast, and erasing the ghosts of Kairi that were roaming around his kitchen from his mind, he stepped outside into the warmth of Destiny Islands.

Stepping onto the sidewalk in front of his modest two story house, he walked towards his job as a brisk pace. Ever since he had come home from his adventuring and heartless slaying, he had gotten a job for Wakka's dad renting out surfboards to the locals. Sure it was tedious and boring, but he needed the money, and to occupy his time throughout the day, even more so now because of Kairi's change of heart, and departure.

He made a turn onto the beach and started towards the old building where he worked when he heard footsteps scrambling behind him, and a voice huffing out to him.

"Sora! Wait up!"

It was Selphie, a small girl with brown hair and bright green eyes, who was the self proclaimed best friend of Kairi, but everyone knew that they never spoke often. If they had, then Sora would have seen a reason to talk to her, but instead, he continued walking towards his job. If there was anyone he didn't want to talk to today, it was Selphie. All she would do is complain that he was a terrible boyfriend, and how could you drive away my best friend, all that jazz. Selphie had always been the gossiper of the little group, even more so after Sora and Riku had left the first time from Destiny Islands. When she couldn't find them in the morning, apparently she had spread some rumor about Sora, Riku, and Kairi going out into the woods to have a party without them, and were probably passed out drunk. Sora was never sure how that one stayed afloat in everyone's mind, but he didn't much care.

"Sora! I'm talking to you mister! Stop walking so fast!"

Sora sighed, and turned to face his pursuer.

"What do you want Selphie, I have to get to work in ten."

"Oh come on Sora, we both know you don't need any more munny. You have plenty from killing all those heartless. I just want to know what you said to Kair-"

"Shut up." Sora began walking again. Yeah, he should've known what she would ask about, but hey, maybe she just wanted to mooch money for ice cream or something. Curse his manners.

"Sora, I just want to know why she left. I'm just as hurt as you are. We all are."

"Yeah, that's what I expected you to say,"

Ignoring the pained expression in Selphie's eyes, Sora walked away, heading off once again towards his work.

Selphie sighed, watching his back retreat as he slouched away. She was hurt yes, but it was a lie when she said she was hurting just as much as him. They all knew how much he loved her, in fact they probably couldn't even begin to understand his confusion. But there wasn't anything she could do now, if he refused to talk.

"Oh Sora. What's going to become of you? You used to be so happy."-

Work, as usual, was slow as can be. It was a simple little shack, with a counter for the customers, and shelves of boards behind it, with barely enough room to maneuver around and push them out the window. The building was a puke green color with a bright blue ceiling. It was decorated brightly with seahorses and other assorted aquatic life. Pulling a small keychain out from his pocket, he unlocked the door and stepped inside, flipping the lightswitch beside the doorway. The lights flickered for a moment, and then with a small burst of electricity, died and grew dark. Cursing silently to himself, he felt around in the dark and grabbed the lever to open the front service window so he could get some light in the shack. Sliding it open, he quickly reached in the nearby drawers and pulled out some new lightbulbs. After he replaced them, he got to work. Or lack thereof, because not many people that lived on the island didn't own surfboards, he usually had a lot of free time to do whatever he wanted. Today that happened to be was getting out on the waves himself. If there was anything calming to do on this island, it was losing yourself in the titanic waves of the island.

Pulling his favorite board off the rack, a bright yellow one with red flames licking down the front, and a bar of wax, he shoved them out the small window into the sand before crawling out himself. Flipping the small sign on the window to show any potential customers that he was out, he grabbed the board and wax and ran out to the shore.

Ripping his shirt and pants off to reveal a black and white bathing suit underneath, he quickly threw them backwards on the beach, and rubbed the now open wax across the surface of the board. Placing the corded strap around his ankle, he picked the board up and threw it into the water, pushing it until he had to start paddling.

It wasn't really a very good day for surfing, so not many people were on the beach. He was virtually alone as he shoved the nose of the board under the waves that he didn't think were worth riding. Paddling outwards, he straddled the board, sitting up. Scanning the horizon, he searched for the perfect wave to forget life on.

It was only about ten minutes before an eleven foot wave appeared on the horizon, eliciting a small smile from Sora. Spinning the board around by paddling with his right arm, he waited until the wave was right behind him, then pushing upwards into a standing position. Twisting the board into the large tunnel the wave created, he put his right hand into the side, balancing as he rocketed down the wave. His mind went blank as the adrenaline pumped through his veins, rushing along the water.

Falling out of the wave, Sora jumped into the water, figuring he would need to get back to the shop. After all, he had work to do.

Swimming inwards to the shore, Sora picked up his board and began walking back down the beach towards the shack, a small speck in the distance. He didn't get very far before he realized a girl was sitting on the beach, not much older than eight, trying to build a sand castle. Smirking, he walked over and plopped himself down next to her.

The little girl scrunched up her nose and pouted, crossing her arms.

"What do you want mister?" she said, a bit sarcastically.

"Oh, nothing much. Just to help you make the best sandcastle ever."

As much as he hated to admit it, he was a sucker for little kids. They look all angry because they can't do something, and he just has to help them.

"Would you really do that?" the excitement in her eyes lit up her small face, as she looked at her tiny pile of sand and back to the tanned man in front of her.

"Sure thing kiddo, just stand back for a second."

She nodded, running backwards a good twenty feet to avoid whatever it was the man was about to do. Focusing, Sora imagined a whirlwind of air forming a castle in front of him.

"Aeroga!" he shouted, not that he needed to, it was really just for dramatic effect. The air swirled around him, picking up sand from the ground and making shapes in the air as it started to settle itself into a large castle, with a door for entry and everything.

"Blizzaga!" he once again shouted, freezing all the sand instantaneously. The large castle was about twenty feet high, and the effects of creating it were obvious on the beach. There were patches in the beach where five foot deep holes had been dug into the sand from the intense winds of his Aeroga.

The girl merely stood back, in awe of the castle before her, a strange mixture of sand and ice.

"Wow! Thanks mister!" She said enthusiastically, running up to Sora and hugging his leg.

"No problem kiddo. Now whats your name, so I can write it on the side of the castle?" He turned and prepared a small Firaga, to blaze an inscription into the side of the ice/sand castle.

"Kairi"

Shock coursed through Sora as the fire on his fingertip slowly died.

"What did you say your name was?"

"Kaity. Is something wrong mister?"

"No…no, I'll be fine."

Quickly writing the Kaity's name onto the side of the castle, Sora quickly collected his board and walked off, ignoring the girl's pleas for him to stay and play with her.

He reached the little shack in record time, throwing the board back in and putting it back on the shelf.

He gritted his teeth and spoke darkly under his breath, "Dammit Kairi…Why are you doing this to me?"

He was reaching the end of his patience. After working for a tormenting couple of months, he almost had enough to buy a gummi ship, if he included all his earnings from his adventures with Donald and Goofy. Once he got it, he would pursue Kairi off in the other worlds. Of course he had no idea where she had gone, but he would search until the day he died to get the answers he so desired.

"Kairi…I just want to understand how you feel…"

UNRAVELING

It was always hot on Destiny Islands. It was a given that if you lived there, you would be sweating just a bit more than on another world. But there should be a limit, for the love of God.

These were Riku's thoughts as he jumped from tree to tree, exercising his skills with The Way to Dawn as he swung and lunged at invisible enemies, flipping here and there to try and push himself to the limit. Stabbing his blade into the bark of the wood, he swung himself around, shooting a Dark Aura bolt at a distant target, cleanly splintering it. He had cast a Protega on it, but with the strength his magic was becoming, even the strong barrier magic couldn't completely nullify his blasts. Jumping off the Key, he quickly resummoned it to his right hand, deftly twisting his body backwards so that he did a flip before stabbing the blade into the same target he had just blasted. This time however, the target and it's protection magic shattered, leaving shards of wood to fall to the ground below. Sure it wasn't as rewarding as seeing a heartless explode into nothing, but it would have to do. He refused to go soft just because there was no more threat in the universe.

Landing lightly on the ground, he flexed his arm behind him, allowing both hands to rest on the hilt of his weapon, holding it horizontal behind him, and bracing his legs for his next move. Then, with a sudden burst of speed, he flew towards one of the many tall trees in the area, slicing it clean through in a single stroke, petals falling around him as if a hundred flowers were just shredded above his head.

"Zantetsuken," He whispered quietly under his breath. The tree trunk split along the slice, and crashed to the ground with a loud bang. Smirking, he stood up to his full height, proud that he had mastered the move that could cause so much devastation in a single blow.

"Let's see Sora pull that one off," He thought to himself, content in his ability. Sure Sora had been his best friend and rival, but he had always been the better of the two. Ever since returning to the island, they had sparred every now and again with the wooden swords from their childhood, just for old times sake. Except now, Riku couldn't be flawless in victory. In fact, he lost much more than he won. Granted Sora was a Keyblade Master, but he had never been able to consistently defeat Riku in battle. The pride that had been crushed by the brown haired man changed Riku. Anger and thoughts of vengeance circulated through his mind, twisting his thoughts about his former friend. Yes they all lived on the same island, but Riku made every attempt to avoid the couple of Kairi and Sora, while they were together. He had been overjoyed when he heard of Kairi leaving the island for an unknown reason. Of course Riku knew why.

Smiling to himself again, he dismissed his blade into the air, walking to his makeshift camp he had set up when he departed for the training journey he had embarked on.

"Someday Sora, we will fight again. And after I crush your body, I will crush your spirit."

UNRAVELING

The ship sped into the distance, engines blazing an intense heat behind it. The stars shone brightly behind, as the Kingdom Gummi Ship rocketed through the blackness of space, The lone passenger sleeping in the back with a tearstained face, with a picture of a certain brunette standing in its picture frame next to her…

UNRAVELING

Sora locked the door behind him, leaving the surf shack for the night. As he guessed, it was a slow day, with only a few tourist customers and occasional islanders. Walking towards home, he looked up towards the sky, admiring it's beauty on the way to his house.

A shooting star flashed across the sky, blinking as it crossed the blackness of the night.

"A wish huh?" Sora thought to himself, stopping on the sidewalk, sitting down on the curb.

"All I can wish for…is relief."

_**I understand the writing style is a bit irritating. Heck I can barely read it myself without getting annoyed, but there will be more descriptive dialogue and plot in the next few chapters. I write weird so that you don't understand yet. Bwahaha. I suck. Until next time. Hasta La Vista-Josh**_


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